By Esra Tekin
ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned the weekend terror attacks in Russia’s Dagestan region, conveying his condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call.
“In the phone call, President Erdogan stated that Türkiye is against all forms of terrorism and strongly condemns the attacks,” said Türkiye’s Communications Directorate on X.
“He expressed condolences to the Russian people for those who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery for the injured,” it added.
Erdogan stated that Ankara will continue to strive for the cessation of all conflicts in the region.
The death toll in terrorist attacks in Russia's Dagestan region rose to 21 – made up of 16 police officers and five civilians, including a priest – after another policeman died in the hospital Monday night, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
The assailants on Sunday attacked Orthodox churches, synagogues, and a traffic police post in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala in Dagestan.
A Russian Guard Corps serviceman, Ramazan Atziev, a first responder at the Holy Dormition Cathedral in the city of Makhachkala, was also killed in the assault.